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Kaeya kicked his legs back and forth excitedly as he drew, tongue sticking out and eyebrows furrowed in concentration. He had come up with an idea on how to better communicate with his brother, and the moment he thought of it, he went to work. It was late though, and he knew he should be sleeping, but he was so excited he couldn't wait until morning.
Suddenly he hears footsteps outside of the bedroom and he quickly drops his crayon and runs to the bed, jumping under the cover. As the door opens, he already knows he's caught, because he forgot to burn out his candle. "Kaeya?" Kaeya stays silent, hoping he could fool his father. "Kae, I know you're awake, dear," Crepus chuckles and steps inside the bedroom. He sits down on the edge of Kaeya's bed and pulls the cover back, revealing his son. "How come you're awake? It's very late, boy."
"I'm sorry, Papa," Kaeya frowns with a sigh and sits up. "I wanted to make something for Luc."
"Well, you can make it in the morning. You need sleep so you can stay healthy." Crepus pats the bed and Kaeya scoots himself down to rest his head on the pillow, then his father begins tucking him in.
"I couldn't wait til morning, Papa. I wanted to do it now."
"Your brother is asleep, you wouldn't wake him just for that, would you?" Crepus asks, glancing across the room at his other son, who was fast asleep.
"No, you don't get it. I want to help him talk to us," Kaeya frowns again. He should've been more careful about staying up late. If he hadn't of been caught, he could still work on it.
"Dear, I already told you he can't talk. I know you want him to but-"
"I know that, Papa. I wanted to make pictures for him to use if he needs something. I drew a toy so if he wants to play he can touch it so I know." Crepus leans back in surprise. It actually wasn't too bad of an idea. "And if he wants food he can point to the food I drew."
"I see. Is that your drawing over there?" Kaeya nods and Crepus crosses the room to examine the work Kaeya had completed so far. He smiles at the artwork, looking at the hardly legible handwriting next to the drawings. "I think this is a wonderful idea, Kae," Crepus says softly as he sets the paper down. He crosses the room once again and sits back down on Kaeya's bed. "How about this: You get some sleep and tomorrow I'll help you work on it."
"Okay!" Kaeya says excitedly and snuggles down into the bed further. With this new plan in mind, he was ready to fall asleep as soon as possible, so tomorrow would arrive. "Do you think it will help him, Papa?"
"I am certain it will," Crepus smiles and pats Kaeya's shoulder. "Alright, get some sleep and we'll finish it tomorrow." Crepus leaves a quick kiss on Kaeya's cheek before heading to bed himself. Kaeya falls asleep with a smile on his face, overjoyed at the idea of teaching his big brother to communicate.
Kaeya paced impatiently as he waited for his brother to come downstairs to see his new gift. He woke Crepus up extra early, much to the man's dismay, to begin working on his little project. After nearly three hours they had finished; Kaeya drew the pictures while Crepus wrote what they all meant.
"Relax, boy, you have all the time in the world," Crepus chuckled at his excited son, sipping on his second cup of coffee. He had gone to bed the night before expecting Kaeya to wake him early, but not nearly as early as he actually did.
"He better hurry! I can't wait any longer," Kaeya groans and plops down in his seat at the table. Crepus taps a finger near his plate and Kaeya frowns, grabbing his fork. He was too excited to eat but Crepus insisted.
Finally, Diluc emerges from upstairs, rubbing his tired eyes and yawning. Kaeya jumps out of his seat and runs towards him. "Luc! Luc! Me and Papa made you something! Hurry, come look!" Diluc furrows his eyebrows and covers his ears.
"Not so loud, Kae," Crepus reminds softly and Kaeya whispers an apology. He tugs in Diluc's sleeve and pulls him towards the table. "Good morning, little owl," Crepus adds and Diluc smiles at his father. "Eat your breakfast, son." Diluc picks up a fork and begins eating his eggs, eyeing Kaeya as the younger boy squirmed in his seat.
After ten minutes, which felt like 10 hours to Kaeya, Diluc finishes his food and Kaeya jumps out of his seat. "Look, Diluc! We made you this. You can use it to talk to us!" Kaeya places the makeshift book on the table, which consisted of a stack of papers each with three holes on one side and string tying them all together. Diluc glances at it with a puzzled look, but doesn't make any moves to open it.
Kaeya opens the book to the first page, which listed basic greetings and everyone's name they knew. "There's pictures and words in here. You can use this book to let us know if you want or need something. Or if you just have something to say!"
Kaeya watches as Diluc's eyes travel across the page before he finally reaches to flip through the pages. He still seems visibly confused, so Crepus speaks up. "Diluc, let me show you, son." He scoots his chair closer to Diluc and points at a picture Kaeya drew of a cup. "This is water. See, your brother drew it, and I wrote what it is above it. If you want water, just point to this picture and we will know." Diluc ponders his words for a moment then his face softens and Crepus can tell he finally understands.
Diluc flips through the pages some more, scanning each picture. After getting a better look at them, he turns back to the first page and points at a blue stick figure. "Kaeya," Kaeya says out loud and Diluc then points to a red, bearded stick figure, "Papa," lastly, he turns to the second page and points to the heart, "love." Diluc nods and closes the book before holding it against his chest, hugging it tight. "We love you too, Luc." Kaeya leans forward to hug his brother then freezes. "Can I hug you, Luc?"
Diluc lifts his head to nod yes but then his eyes widen as he realizes something; he sets the book down and flips through the pages until he finds what he needs. He points towards a poorly drawn green check mark, with the word 'yes' written above it. Kaeya giggles and engulfs his older brother in a tight hug until he feels a tug on his sleeve. Diluc scrunches his face in discomfort as Kaeya scrambles away.
"Sorry," he mumbles but Diluc smiles softly and reaches to pat Kaeya's head, earning a smile back. Diluc then returns his attention to the book and looks through more pages. Kaeya watches him silently until Diluc points at another image; a crystal fly.
"Would you like to catch some crystal flies?" Crepus asks, and Kaeya turns to see Diluc's response. Diluc beams and nods his head quickly before climbing down from his seat. Crepus chuckles and stands up from his own chair, reaching for the boys' empty plates. "Go on boys, I'll join you soon."
As weeks and months followed, Diluc always made sure to keep his new book with him everywhere he went. At times, they'd find new things to add, and on occasion Diluc would even help draw the pictures. Crepus felt more at ease than he ever had, his son now having a way to communicate with others. Even though he was their father, and responsible for raising them, he felt that he'd be lost without Kaeya's dedication to supporting his brother and his needs. Every night before lights out, he silently thanked Barbatos for bringing Kaeya into their lives, and giving his son someone to protect him.